Abigail Torian’s high school track career ended after she added thre more state titles to her portfolio and a pair of state awards. Now, she’ll continue running after signing with Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Last week, Torian, a Trigg County High School senior, was named Kentucky’s Class 2A and Overall Senior Sprinter of the Year based on her season performance that concluded with state titles in the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relays.

Tech coach Karen Brandt, who spoke by phone at Torian’s signing last Wednesday at TCHS, said the school is fortunate to have added Torian to its track roster.

“Our sprint coach told me she’s the best thing to come out of Kentucky,” Brandt said of Torian. “Not only does she have fast feet, but I like the caliber of young lady I saw in her.”

Trigg boys track coach Kewanis Kennedy, who sat in at the signing for girls coach Jim Garnett while he was on a school trip, said Torian has the ability to succeed at whatever she sets her mind to.

“She’s a great athlete, but she’s also very brilliant in the classroom, and I think that’s what sets her apart from other athletes,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think I’ve seen any athlete who carries themselves with as much class as Abigail does.”

In an interview this week, Garnett said Torian will be nearly impossible to replace on next year’s team.

“When I took the Trigg job, I’d heard her name, but I didn’t know how talented she was,” Garnett said. “She’s just dominant, and she has great leadership qualities. She doesn’t like to lose, and she had a near perfect record here. Anywhere I put her, she made the team better.”

Garnett, who expects Torian to make an immediate impact at Tech, said having a leader like Torian the last two seasons has made an impact on talented runners on the rise at Trigg.

“To have them to see how she practices and what it takes to be a champion, she was absolutely wonderful in that regard,” Garnett said. “From what I understand, she’s going to be a team leader [at Tech] as early as next year. That’s what a freshman wants to hear.”

Torian said she considered a few schools, including Bowling Green State University in Ohio, but ultimately decided Indiana Tech was the place for her.

“When I went to Indiana Tech, it felt like coming home,” Torian said. “Everyone treated me like they knew me, and the track team is really good.”

Torian, who plans to major in business management, said she will likely focus on sprint events like she did at Trigg. She said growing up in a program with a rich track history has helped her become the athlete she is today.

“I’ve been running track since sixth grade, and when I look back and think about it, I really wasn’t that good in middle school,” Torian said. “When I got to high school, I was beating the people that beat me in middle school. Coach Teresa Wilson helped a lot in middle school, and high school started off with coach Jim Wallace and ended up with coach Garnett. All of them helped me, taught me the proper way to run, and my teammates boosted me and I tried to boost them.”

Torian, who has won state titles in sprint events in two classes, said the level of competition she’ll face at Tech will be higher than the state level.

“It’s going to be harder,” Torian said. “I’m glad I beat people here, but I know I’m going to have to work 10 times harder there. I’m willing to do it because I love to run.”